What does χράομαι (chráomai) mean in the Bible?
Χράομαι means to use, make use of, deal with, or conduct oneself in a certain way. Paul's contexts show that use must be lawful, wise, and accountable.
Greek · G5530
χράομαι
Χράομαι means to use, make use of, deal with, or conduct oneself in a certain way. Paul's contexts show that use must be lawful, wise, and accountable.
Reading a lexicon entry
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χράομαιG5530
Pronunciationchráomai
What does χράομαι (chráomai) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for χράομαι (G5530) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5530?
The BSB source-word alignment has 11 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [and] use (1), [the crew] used (1), did I do it (1), have not used (1), I will not need to be (1).
Where does χράομαι (chráomai) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 27:3. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (4), 2 Corinthians (3), 1 Timothy (2), Acts (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Χράομαι means to use, make use of, deal with, or conduct oneself in a certain way. Paul's contexts show that use must be lawful, wise, and accountable. First Timothy 1 says the law is good if someone uses it lawfully, refusing both rejection of God's instruction and misuse that fuels speculation or self-righteousness. Second Corinthians 1 asks whether Paul's planning was conducted according to the flesh, exposing the need for integrity in how freedom and plans are exercised.
First Corinthians 7:21 contains a well-known interpretive question about making use of an opportunity in relation to slavery and freedom; the context insists that the believer belongs to Christ and should not become enslaved to people. The verb itself does not settle that debated construction.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses χράομαι for making use of law, plans, status, or opportunity. Good things and real freedoms can be used faithfully or wrongly depending on Christ's lordship and the passage's purpose.
- 1Cor.7.21
Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity.
The construction is debated, but Paul's paragraph clearly relativizes slavery and freedom under Christ's ownership and prohibits becoming slaves of human masters in the ultimate sense.
- 1Tim.1.8
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately.
The law's goodness is preserved when it is used lawfully in accord with its purpose, sound doctrine, and the gospel entrusted to Paul.
- 2Cor.1.17
When I planned this, did I do it carelessly? Or do I make my plans by human standards, so as to say “Yes, yes” and also “No, no”?
Paul denies that his changing travel plans arose from fleshly, double-tongued use of freedom and grounds ministry integrity in God's faithful promises in Christ.
Book contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It[and] use1×1 Timothy 5:23
[the crew] used1×Acts 27:17
did I do it1×2 Corinthians 1:17
have not used1×1 Corinthians 9:15
I will not need to be1×2 Corinthians 13:10
take the opportunity1×1 Corinthians 7:21
treated1×Acts 27:3
use1×1 Corinthians 7:31
uses1×1 Timothy 1:8
we are1×2 Corinthians 3:12
we did not exercise1×1 Corinthians 9:12
Show sample aligned rows
Acts 27:3χρησάμενοςtotreatedVerb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 27:17ἐχρῶντοto[the crew] usedVerb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural1 Corinthians 7:21χρῆσαιtotake the opportunityVerb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular1 Corinthians 7:31χρώμενοιtouseVerb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural1 Corinthians 9:12ἐχρησάμεθαtowe did not exerciseVerb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Plural1 Corinthians 9:15κέχρημαιtohave not usedVerb - Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Singular2 Corinthians 1:17ἐχρησάμηνtodid I do itVerb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular2 Corinthians 3:12χρώμεθαtowe areVerb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Plural2 Corinthians 13:10χρήσωμαιtoI will not need to beVerb - Aorist Subjunctive Middle - 1st Person Singular1 Timothy 1:8χρῆταιtousesVerb - Present Subjunctive Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowActs 27:3
Aligned rows11
Books represented4
Acts21 Corinthians42 Corinthians31 Timothy2
Source forms
ἐχρησάμεθα1xechrēsametha1 Corinthians 9:12
ἐχρησάμην1xechrēsamēn2 Corinthians 1:17
ἐχρῶντο1xechrōntoActs 27:17
κέχρημαι1xkechrēmai1 Corinthians 9:15
χρῆσαι1xchrēsai1 Corinthians 7:21
χρησάμενος1xchrēsamenosActs 27:3
χρήσωμαι1xchrēsōmai2 Corinthians 13:10
χρῆται1xchrētai1 Timothy 1:8
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular1x1 Corinthians 7:21
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Plural1x1 Corinthians 9:12
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular1x2 Corinthians 1:17
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular1xActs 27:3
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Middle - 1st Person Singular1x2 Corinthians 13:10
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural1xActs 27:17
Verb - Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Singular1x1 Corinthians 9:15
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Singular1x1 Timothy 5:23
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Where the syntax is disputed, state the interpretive options and build application from what the wider paragraph clearly establishes.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that χράομαι by itself resolves whether 1 Corinthians 7:21 urges use of slavery or use of an opportunity for freedom.
- Do not call every technically permitted use faithful; Paul's contexts test use by purpose, integrity, gospel, and lordship.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to use
Strong'sG5530
Lexical occurrences11 versesGreek text appearances11 timesWord forms4 forms11 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
to use
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
11 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Acts 27:3Verb Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
χρησάμενοςcrhsamenov
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verseActs 27:17Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐχρῶντο,ecrwnto
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse1 Corinthians 7:21Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Middle Deponent Imperative
χρῆσαι.crhsai
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse1 Corinthians 7:31Verb Present Middle or Passive Deponent Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
χρώμενοιcrwmenoi
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse1 Corinthians 9:12Verb First Person Plural Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
ἐχρησάμεθαecrhsameqa
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse1 Corinthians 9:15Verb First Person Singular Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
ἐχρησάμηνecrhsamhn
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse2 Corinthians 1:17Verb First Person Singular Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
ἐχρησάμην;ecrhsamhn
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse2 Corinthians 3:12Verb First Person Plural Present Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
χρώμεθα·crwmeqa
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse2 Corinthians 13:10Verb First Person Singular Aorist Middle Deponent Subjunctive
χρήσωμαι,crhswmai
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse1 Timothy 1:8Verb Third Person Singular Present Middle or Passive Deponent Subjunctive
χρῆται,crhtai
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verse1 Timothy 5:23Verb Second Person Singular Present Middle or Passive Deponent Imperative
χρῶ,crw
I use, make use of, deal with
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups4Aligned forms11TensesAorist, Imperfect, Present, PerfectVoicesMiddle
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality2×
Aorist MiddleActs 27:31×
Present Middle1 Cor 7:311×
Indicativestates a fact or reality5×
Aorist Middle1 Cor 9:12 · 2 Cor 1:172×
Imperfect MiddleActs 27:171×
Perfect Middle1 Cor 9:151×
Present Middle2 Cor 3:121×
Imperativecommand or strong request2×
Aorist Middle1 Cor 7:211×
Present Middle1 Tim 5:231×
Subjunctivepossibility, probability, or purpose2×
Aorist Middle2 Cor 13:101×
Present Middle1 Tim 1:81×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 11 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist5present4perfect1imperfect1
Voice
middle11
Mood
indicative5imperative2participle2subjunctive2
NT Occurrences
Acts 27:17ἐχρῶντοimperfect middle indicativebackgroundActs 27:3χρησάμενοςaorist middle participleparticiple1 Corinthians 7:21χρῆσαιaorist middle imperativeimperative1 Corinthians 7:31χρώμενοιpresent middle participleparticiple1 Corinthians 9:12ἐχρησάμεθαaorist middle indicativecompleted1 Corinthians 9:15κέχρημαιperfect middle indicativeresultant2 Corinthians 1:17ἐχρησάμηνaorist middle indicativecompleted2 Corinthians 3:12χρώμεθαpresent middle indicativeongoing2 Corinthians 13:10χρήσωμαιaorist middle subjunctivesubjunctive1 Timothy 1:8χρῆταιpresent middle subjunctivesubjunctive1 Timothy 5:23χρῶpresent middle imperativeimperative
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
χράομαι is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Use is a moral category because gifts, laws, freedoms, and plans can be handled according to or against their God-given purpose. First Timothy 1 refuses to blame the law for its misuse; lawful use accords with the gospel and exposes conduct contrary to sound teaching. Second Corinthians 1 shows that ministry planning must be transparent and anchored in God's faithfulness rather than fleshly vacillation.
First Corinthians 7 requires special humility because interpreters debate whether Paul tells the enslaved believer to make use of the condition or of an opportunity for freedom. The paragraph's secure center is belonging to Christ and refusing ultimate enslavement to people. Teachers should model that restraint rather than making the verb solve the syntax alone.
Χράομαι trains believers to ask whether their use of authority, liberty, knowledge, resources, and opportunity serves Christ's truth and another's good.
Anchor passage
1Cor.7.21
Doctrinal connections
- 1 Timothy 1:3-11, lawful use of law under sound doctrine
- 2 Corinthians 1:12-22, planning, integrity, and God's Yes in Christ
- 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, calling, slavery, freedom, and belonging to Christ
- Genesis 1:26-31, created gifts entrusted under God's rule
- Deuteronomy 6:20-25, God's law taught according to its saving covenant purpose
- 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, lawful freedom used for another's good and God's glory
Χράομαι is a deponent verb whose range includes use, make use of, experience, deal with, or conduct oneself. It commonly takes a dative complement. In 1 Corinthians 7:21, the understood object and force of the imperative are debated, so lexical possibility must be joined to syntactical argument.
From Old to New Testament
Creation gifts and covenant instruction are entrusted for faithful use under the Giver. Human beings repeatedly misuse good things, while Christ perfectly obeys. The church learns to handle law, freedom, resources, and plans under His lordship and for neighbor good.